


5 months, 9 hours, 42 seconds

by foxyroxi



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Aaron is sad, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Cheating, Eventual Romance, F/M, First Dates, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Matt and Aaron goes on a blind date, Matt confesses to liking Aaron, Minor Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, aaron and katelyn breaks up, aaron and kevin breaks up, aaron is crushed, and a mess, breaking up, he needs a hug, mentions of drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24234001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxyroxi/pseuds/foxyroxi
Summary: He didn’t know when or where the thing between him and Kevin started. But he knew when and where it ended.
Relationships: Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Kevin Day/Aaron Minyard, Kevin Day/Thea Muldani, Matt Boyd/Aaron Minyard
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	1. Cheated

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very different thing for me to write, because I'm not good at writing multi-chapter fics, but this idea couldn't leave me, so I'm going to make an effort!
> 
> I have nothing against Kevin or Katelyn, I love them with all of my heart.  
> I promise there will be a happy ending! (maybe not with Kevin, but Aaron will have a happy ending)
> 
> Tags will be updated accordingly and will be updated after every chapter!
> 
> The title is from The Veronicas [Think of Me](https://open.spotify.com/track/3r7L0AZv76PzUI8qRD8Zj8)
> 
> This work is unbetaed  
> English is not my first language  
> Be kind to others online!
> 
> Come and talk to me on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes) about my fic!

He met her in his biochemistry class on his first day at Palmetto State University. He was a wreck, a newly recovered drug addict. His hair was uncut and unruly, his clothes were a few sizes to big on his thin body. He wanted to become a doctor for the sake of helping people, because nobody had ever helped him. The only ones who had _claimed_ they had helped him, was his cousin Nicky and his twin brother Andrew.

Katelyn was a five foot four inch blonde, blue eyed girl a row in front of him, a few seats to the left. She had her blond hair tied up into a high pony tail. She was wearing a white turtle neck and an orange skirt and she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She turned her head caught Aaron starring at her.

She smiled and waved at him.

Aaron was in love.

He kept his distance because he had made a promise to Andrew. No girlfriends and they stick together until graduation. And Aaron kept his promise for the first six months of their first semester at PSU. Until he and Katelyn were paired for an assignment for their Biochemistry class. He had to talk to Katelyn now and he wasn’t sure how well it would go.

He didn’t embarrass himself completely, because she agreed to meet him for coffee after their assignment was done and she agreed to be his girlfriend after a couple of dates.

Aaron stood in front of Katelyn’s dorm room, patiently waiting for the door to be opened. There were voices talking behind the door, but Aaron couldn’t make out what they were saying or what was happening. Being in College didn’t give them much free time, but he and Katelyn had been together for a couple of years now and he was planning to propose to Katelyn tonight. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and he was certain that she wanted to spend her life with him as well.

She was the only light in his life.

The only woman that hadn’t tried to hurt him like his mother had.

A partially naked man opened the door, looking down at Aaron. It was probably Marissa’s newest hook-up, trying to get Neil to notice her and pay attention to her. She had tried forever to make Neil notice her, but it always failed because Neil only had eyes for Andrew.

“What do you want?” he asked, his voice deep. He looked like he could break Aaron’s jaw with a single punch.

“I’m here for Katelyn. Is she home?”

The guy snorted. He left the door open as he went into the dorm.

“There’s a guy here for you,” he said as he flopped down onto the couch next to Katelyn. Katelyn pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, then saw Aaron from the corner of her eyes. She paled, all colour leaving him.

“Aaron,” she whispered. She pulled back, wrapping a blanket around her to shield her naked body. She hurried off to Aaron, who stepped back. He was hyperventilating, barely getting enough oxygen into his lungs.

He trusted Katelyn. And she couldn’t care less about his feelings for her.

“Aaron,” she said again. Her eyes were wet, probably because he had just caught her cheating on him.

“How long?” he asked, his voice small and not his own. “How long have you been cheating on me?”

Katelyn remained quiet, staring at him as he began to pace the hall. Objectively he had known since the first comment about his lack muscles. Then it was the lack of height and the length of his cock. But he pushed his doubts away because he trusted her.

He trusted her and she broke his trust.

Andrew was going to kill her.

“Screw you Katelyn. Screw you. I thought you were the one. _You_ said I was your one true love and then you go and do _this_!?” he was raising his voice now. He didn’t care. He couldn’t care. The others deserved to know what kind of person Katelyn was. “I’m done with you. I’m so fucking done.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and pulled the key off. The key for her dorm room. “You can give mine to Andrew next time you see him.” He turned on his heels and left, the engagement ring burning a hole in his pocket as he left Katelyn in the hall.

The last thing he heard before the door closed, was a broken sob.

He went back to Andrew’s dorm room and raided it for vodka and whatever alcohol they had left from their last party. He had positively smashed when Andrew, Neil and Kevin came back from night practice. He was also crying, holding the bottle of vodka close to his chest. Andrew just stared at his twin, then left him for Kevin to deal with, while he and Neil went to bed.

“Kate… Katelyn cheated,” Aaron sobbed into his arm.

“I’m sorry,” Kevin said, then put his hand on Aaron’s shoulder. He carefully managed to wrestle the bottle free from Aaron’s grasp. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up and her you to bed.”

Kevin easily picked Aaron up from the floor and carried him to the bathroom. Aaron cried the entire time Kevin cleaned him up before he carried him back to the room he shared with Nicky and Matt.

He didn’t know when the thing between him and Kevin started.

It might have started the night Kevin, Andrew and Neil came back from their night session at the Court to find a dead drunk Aaron in the living room, crying his heart out on the floor, Kevin’s bottle of vodka clutched to his chest. As if it was his life. Andrew was too tired to deal with Aaron’s melt down, so let Kevin deal with it.

It might have started when Kevin kissed him at Eden’s a month after he had broken up with Katelyn.

It might have started when Kevin took him out on a date the first time.

He couldn’t really tell when they started dating when they became boyfriends, but Kevin kept him afloat, kept him from seeking out drug dealers and drowning his sorrows in alcohol over Katelyn cheating on him.

When he asked Kevin if he was done with Thea, he assured him that he was one-hundred percent done with Thea. It relaxed Aaron and made something settle deep inside of him. Kevin confessed to Andrew that he liked Aaron and Andrew wasn’t exactly looking pleased. He had to protect Aaron from another impossible human being and Kevin was one of the most impossible humans being on earth.

Kevin took Aaron out on multiple dates before he asked him to be his boyfriend. Aaron said yes because he was in love with him and because he wanted to be in a relationship with him. He loved Kevin and if he had to be honest, he didn’t think he would ever be able to love anyone after Katelyn.

Things were a little rough when Kevin graduated, but they pulled through until Aaron could join Kevin in Houston. Aaron got into med school in Houston and moved into Kevin’s apartment after graduation. Thea was a frequent visitor in their apartment, but she and Kevin also had a history together – they went to Edgar Allen University together, played Exy together. They dated. Aaron trusted Kevin, even if he didn’t exactly trust Thea.

There were rumours about Kevin and Thea being in a relationship they both denied because Thea was in a loving relationship and Kevin was in a loving relationship.

Until it wasn’t.

Until it wasn’t loving anymore.

It was more fighting than talking, more of ignoring and silent treatments.

Kevin was rarely home, but Aaron wasn’t better. Med school took a lot of his time and when he finally had time off from school, all he did was sleep. When Kevin finally had time off from Exy he was either at the Court or at Thea’s place.

They rarely talked, until Kevin came home and apologized for his behaviour and Aaron apologized for his behaviour. He apologized for ignoring him and for yelling at him.

They still weren’t okay, but they were managing. They were trying to be okay even when they weren’t. Things got better again, and Kevin stopped spending time with Thea because she changed teams, but she was only gone for two seasons, before she was back in Houston.

Aaron had just gotten the email, where he was matched with his first choice hospital in Houston and they were out celebrating. Him and Kevin, then Thea showed up because Kevin had invited her to join them in the celebrations. Aaron wanted to tell her to go, to leave but he didn’t want to seem rude to one of Kevin’s only friends. Kevin had gotten Aaron a gold necklace with Kevin’s initials he always were close.

The apartment was eerily quiet one night when Aaron came home from a late night at the hospital. There were too many shoes in the hallway, a coat too many. A skirt. A pair of thigh high socks. There was laughter, then a hushed voices, then a moan and the bed creaking, the headboard hitting the wall behind it. Aaron knew what he was hearing, but he didn’t want to believe it. He made his way down the hallway, towards his and Kevin’s bedroom. He stepped on a shirt, a pair of jeans. Panties and a bra.

The noises got louder as Aaron got closer to the bedroom. The moans grew louder, and they were accompanied with a groan he knew so well.

He tried to prepare himself what he was about to see. Slowly, he pushed the door open, and nothing could prepare him for ever having to see his boyfriend cheat on him.

With his ex.

“Kevin?” he asked, his voice small and possibly a little shaky.

Kevin almost threw Thea off of him in surprise and shock.

Thea looked like she had seen a ghost.

Aaron did feel like a ghost.

This was the second time someone he cared about cheated on him and the pain was unimaginable. He looked at them, biting the inside of his lips so he wouldn’t cry. He walked over to his closet and began to pack all of his clothes into them. He packed all of his belongings into a big suitcase and a duffle and his computer bag. He just needed to get out.

“—ron please listen to me!” Kevin said, but Aaron was tuning him out. He couldn’t deal with this.

“How long Kevin? How long have you been screwing _perfect_ Thea over there, hmm? How many times have you had your dick in her, just to come home and fuck me?!” he hissed, his gaze cold and burning with anger at the same time.

“Three years,” Thea said from her spot on the bed when Kevin failed to answer. “But we also got together occasionally the first year Kevin was here.”

Aaron stared at her. She was sitting on his side of the bed, completely unashamed of her nakedness. She was a gorgeous woman and she knew it. Kevin knew it. Aaron knew it. But just because Aaron knew Thea was gorgeous, didn’t mean he wanted to fuck her at every given opportunity.

“Four years Kevin… You have fucked her for _four years_.” He felt like crying now and he was fairly sure he was going to punch Kevin if he didn’t stand back. “When you graduated from PSU. When things got rough between us, you leapt into her arms and let her take care of you. Let her take care of your needs when you should have been here to work out the problems with me.”

“Aaron—”

“No. Shut up Kevin. You destroyed us the second you decided to fuck Thea the first time. You selfish son of a bastard.”

“He was never in love with you Aaron,” Thea said. She stood up from the bed and pulled out one of Kevin’s shirts from his closet and pulled it on. It was one of Aaron’s favourites to sleep in. “He was only with you out of pity.”

Aaron wanted to punch Thea in the mouth.

He yanked the necklace from his neck and tossed it at Kevin.

“I hope you both rot in hell,” he spat. His breath was picking up. He needed to leave. He picked up his bags and grabbed the suitcase, moving into the study where he grabbed a few tote bags and filled them with his books before he left the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him. The second the door was closed behind him, he cried. He fell to his knees, one hand tightly clutched over his mouth in an attempt to suppress the heartbroken sobs that came from him, the other supporting him against the wall. He sat there for a few minutes, collecting himself before he stood back up, gathering his bags and his suitcase.

He hailed a cab in front of the building and paid the cab driver once he was at the airport. He was lucky that there was a red-eye going in an hour for Colorado. He checked in his suitcase and duffle bag, taking his books and computer with him onto the plane. He knew he should call Andrew and let him know he was coming to visit.

When he landed at Denver International Airport, it was raining. It was fitting his mood pretty well. He gathered his baggage and managed to stuff his computer and books into his suitcase, protecting them from the rain and hailed another cab. He gave the address to Andrew and Neil’s apartment complex to the driver, then sat back, watching as the city passed by. The cab driver parked the car and Aaron paid the man a decent tip for the drive. He got his stuff out and looked up the building, getting himself soaked to the bone before he walked up to the door and pushed the buzzer.

When neither Neil nor Andrew opened the door, he fished his phone out of his pocket and texted Andrew.

_‘Let me in. I’m outside.’_

Within seconds, the buzzer sounded, and Aaron pushed the door open. He took the elevator up to the 13th floor and found the 7th apartment to the right. He knocked on the door and the door swung open. He came face to face with a grumpy Andrew.

“Why are you here at two in the morning Aaron?” Andrew asked, leaning against the door way.

Aaron stared at Andrew, tears welling up in his eyes as he thought about Kevin and Thea.

“Kevin cheated on me,” he whispered, then broke down crying.

It was unlike Andrew to hug his brother, but Aaron felt Andrew wrap his arms around his wet body, holding him up as he world crumbled beneath him. He moved them inside bags and all. Neil came out from the bathroom, frowning. He looked at Andrew and Andrew said.

“Kevin cheated.”


	2. Turn it Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron moves his internship from Texas to Colorado after spending months on Neil and Andrew's couch. Neil gets increasingly more annoyed with Aaron the longer he stays with them. Asks Andrew to do something about it, which results in Neil buying Aaron an apartment and Andrew buying him a car. Aaron starts dating again. 
> 
> He goes on a blind date with an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much [Denise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deniseeeyy) for beta'ing chapter two!
> 
> This gets more and more exciting to write and I'm excited to write more and explore more of Aaron growing and learning!
> 
> And a mystery friend from the past makes an appearance!
> 
> Come and talk to me on[Twitter!](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)

Aaron moved in to Andrew and Neil’s apartment that night.

Maybe ‘moved in’ wasn’t the right word, but Aaron had made an unconscious decision to move in with Andrew and Neil on the red-eye. He had nowhere else to go and wasn’t really close with his peers at the hospital because he was related to Andrew and was ‘friends’ with Kevin.

Neil called Kevin, demanding an explanation for why Aaron was at their doorstep, crying like he had never cried before. He yelled at Kevin for cheating on Aaron. He yelled at Kevin for wasting Aaron’s time in a relationship that practically ended three years ago when Kevin decided to cheat. And while Neil was going at it, Andrew held him up, keeping him together in the kitchen. Aaron wasn’t used to physical contact from Andrew, but it showed him that his twin cared. Andrew cared about Aaron, possibly a lot more than what Andrew liked to admit.

“I’m going to trip Kevin up the next time I see him on Court. I’ll trip him up and I will one-up Riko and break _both_ of his hands.”

Aaron snorted through his tears, though it was a bitter sound. He didn’t want Neil to go out of his way just to hurt Kevin. He knew they were friends but it made something untwist inside of him. They all knew Neil would kill for his family, and Neil seeing Aaron as family made something settle deep inside of him. He was glad that their relationships had developed for the better over the years; that he and Neil weren’t at each other’s throats over everything and nothing. He was glad he and Andrew were at a place where they relied on one another.

While his and Andrew’s relationship always had been rocky, at times violent and filled with promises, they had grown. They had grown and they were better people for it. Andrew had grown since he got together with Neil.

“You don’t have to do that,” Aaron croaked, drying his cheeks with his sleeves.

“He'll end up with a knife between his fourth and fifth rib,” Andrew said, his voice devoid of emotions and humour. Aaron knew Andrew would do it, because Kevin was their friend and he had been for years at this point, but Andrew would forever take Aaron’s side over Kevin’s in an eventual break up. Neither of the three men had any idea what kind of man Kevin really was, until he showed his real face.

And broke Aaron’s heart in the process.

Neil set up the couch for Aaron while he showered. He looked over to Andrew who was warming some of the leftover Chinese dishes they had had for dinner the previous day. He walked over to him and wrapped his arms around Andrew’s waist. He sighed softly, resting his head against Andrew’s shoulder. He felt bad for Aaron, but he didn’t know how to express those feelings.

“I know. I want to kill him too. Maybe not kill him, but at least seriously maim him,” Andrew said underneath his breath.

He had protected Kevin from Riko, from the Moriyama’s and every one of their watch dogs that had tried to silence him after Riko’s death. He had promised to protect Kevin from whatever people that were after him, even now when they were at different teams. Kevin had promised to protect Aaron and Kevin failed to deliver on his promise. Neil nuzzled his nose into Andrew’s neck, sighing deeply.

“Kevin’s a dick. Bigger than usual,” he mumbled softly, and Andrew hummed in agreement. Kevin was usually being a dick, but right now Kevin was the biggest dick they knew.

Aaron came out from the shower, his eyes still red rimmed from hours spent crying. Andrew put the plate of left-over food on the kitchen island for Aaron to eat.

“Eat, then get some sleep. It’s late and we have practice tomorrow. Or later today,” Neil said and waved his hand around as he spoke. He did that a lot. “I set the couch up for you, but you’ll have to share with Sir and King.”

Aaron stared at Neil, unsure when they got so close. It wasn’t at Palmetto, that was for sure, but since they both had left South Carolina they had gotten closer as the years passed.

“Thanks,” Aaron muttered quietly. He almost flinched when he felt Neil’s hand on his shoulder. Neil offered him a soft smile, then retreated to the bedroom.

“Good night, Aaron,” Andrew said, then followed Neil into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

“Good night,” Aaron said once the bedroom door was closed.

But Aaron didn’t sleep.

He stayed on the couch for a month before Neil wanted to strangle him.

He did nothing but cry and wonder what happened between him and Kevin. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kevin and the obviously poor choice he had made when he decided to cheat on him with his ex-girlfriend.

The following month Aaron moved into the guest room, but it didn’t make Neil want to strangle him any less. He still wanted to strangle him, even if he felt bad for him.

“Andrew,” Neil said, cornering Andrew in the kitchen. Andrew looked at Neil with a raised eyebrow. “He needs to leave.”

“You want to kick my brother out?”

“Yes—What? _No_! Andrew,” Neil sighed dramatically, “Andrew. I want sex. We haven’t had sex in two months. I need to have sex, or I’ll go crazy, because all I can think about is you and your dick inside of me and you keep rejecting me and I need sex!” His breathing had picked up a notch, sounding out of breath. He was glad Aaron was at the hospital for an interview. He wasn’t going back to Houston anytime soon, or at all and that was fine, but Neil needed Aaron to move out.

“You want to kick my brother out for sex?”

Neil groaned.

“What do you want me to say Andrew? Yes?”

Andrew swept Neil off his feet and swung him over his shoulder and headed for the bedroom. Neil’s laugh filled the apartment as Andrew carried him.

“Yes! Finally!”

“We bought you an apartment.”

Aaron blinked. He stared at them confused.

“Well, _I_ bought you an apartment. Andrew bought you a car,” Neil clarified from where he was perched on the kitchen counter, eating pizza. Andrew was standing between Neil’s legs, eating his own slice of pizza. Aaron looked at them, undoing his tie.

Objectively he knew he should have left the apartment a long time ago, preferably a month ago. He didn’t want to leave, but Neil and Andrew still had their own lives and Aaron was just imposing on their lives. He shrugged off his blazer and put it over the back of the couch before he moved into the kitchen and stood on the other side of the kitchen island. It was hard not to stare at the hickeys on Neil’s inner thighs. “The apartment needs to be renovated, but you can move in next month.”

Aaron didn’t know what to say or what to think. He knew they were doing it for him, for his own good and so he could move on from Kevin. He teared up thinking about him and his stupid green eyes and dark hair. His large hands and how they felt on his skin.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Neil smiled a half smile. “We did Aaron. You need a life and a place on your own and a place that’s closer to the hospital.”

“Eat,” Andrew said, pushing the pizza box closer to Aaron.

They might want Aaron out of their apartment, but they would never abandon Aaron or freeze him out of their lives.

He smiled and took a slice and began to eat. This was the happiest he had been in a long time.

Moving into his new apartment was easy. Neil and Andrew had ordered furniture and whatever else he needed for his place. It was two bedrooms, kitchen-living room, and a decent bathroom. Neil and Andrew stayed for the first night, helping Aaron settle in to his new life. He had gotten the internship at Denver Health Medical Center, but he wouldn’t start for another month.

The second night Aaron didn’t sleep.

The apartment seemed too big and his mind was too loud, thinking about what-if scenarios if he hadn’t caught Kevin and Thea fucking. Would he have stayed? Would he have demanded that they moved? What if Thea had ended up pregnant and popped out a mini-Kevin, just darker? He knew he was spiralling, but he had no way of getting out of the spiral alone. He downloaded Tinder without thinking about it, and matched with whomever he came across and thought would help him take his mind off of things.

Come morning, Aaron had hundreds of matches, and a few dozen dates planned.

Come lunch, The Houston Sirens held a press conference, confirming Kevin and Thea’s relationship.

Aaron wanted to puke. He wanted to scream, and he wanted to cry.

Andrew and Neil came over, Neil pacing as he cursed out Kevin in different languages.

They stayed the night, making sure Aaron was okay before they got on a plane and headed for Houston for a match against Kevin’s team. Aaron hoped Neil would break Kevin’s hands so he couldn’t play Exy. It was the only satisfaction he had in his life at the moment.

He went on his first date with a girl he had matched with two seconds into downloading Tinder, but it turned out she thought he was Andrew, finally wanting to see what sex with a girl felt like. She was greatly disappointed when she found out that he was indeed not Andrew and she left the bar after a drink.

After that, he wrote ‘ _Not Andrew_ ’ in his description, because he didn’t want to be mistaken for Andrew looking for someone to cheat on Neil with. He wasn’t Kevin. He was better than Kevin.

It had been five months since he had broken up with Kevin.

It had been five months with emotions that were like a rollercoaster. Some days he was fine and on those days he was usually on dates, and some days he could stay in bed doing nothing and he usually spent them doing charting at work. He did his best to get over Kevin, but it was hard. It was hard to turn off his thoughts and it was harder to stop feeling like his world was ending. His world had ended in some way, but he hadn’t wanted it to end. Not like that at least.

Not with an earful of moans and an eyeful of brown, naked skin.

Nor had he thought it would be hard to find a decent person to date. Every single person he had been out with wanted Andrew or Neil’s number, their autographs and whatnot. Aaron deleted Tinder on his phone. One of his co-workers had asked if she could set Aaron up on a blind date and Aaron had refused the first _six_ times already, but she was persistent. She kept telling him facts about him and Aaron had stored them in his head.

He has a daughter in the same grade as her.

He’s a single dad.

Deep brown eyes, tan skin, and a gorgeous smile.

Divorced – or Aaron certainly hoped he was. He wasn’t about to wreck a relationship just because his own ended in cheating.

He was 6’4’’.

He was a year and a half older than Aaron.

He used to play Exy – both in college and professionally but was now a coach and teacher at a local high school.

Aaron agreed on the seventh time she asked him.

Aaron wasn’t sure what he expected out of this blind date. He had been told to wear nice clothes – not tailored suit clothes and not casual clothes, but nice clothes. He had no idea what nice clothes were, so he had dressed in skinny jeans, a dress shirt, and a blazer;keeping it nice, but casual.

He walked into the restaurant his co-worker had told him to go to and sat down at the table his co-worker had reserved for him and his blind date. He shrugged off his blazer and ordered himself a beer as he waited. The guy was a single father, so he was probably running late. Or Aaron early or the time had been changed and he didn’t know about it. He looked to the door every time the bell rang, hoping to spot his date. He had already been there for twenty minutes and the guy was a no show, but Aaron was in a good mood and he wanted to give this a chance. He ordered himself another beer and he was half way through it when a 6’4 tanned man walked through the door.

And Aaron recognized him.

“Matt?” he whispered to himself.

Matt was led to the table by a waitress. He wasn’t really paying any attention to the restaurant's patrons, instead he focused on not hitting his head against the low hanging lamps.

Aaron followed him with his eyes and he almost snorted when Matt hit his head on one of the lamps.

“Table 9, sir. Your date’s already here,” the girl said and handed the menus to Aaron who remained quiet until Matt was sitting across from him. “I hope you two have a nice time together.”

“Thanks,” they said in unison and Matt stared, stopping halfway in the process of taking off his coat, both arms stuck in an uncomfortable position.

“Aaron?”

“Hi Matt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading chapter two! 
> 
> It was my intention for Aaron to go on a date with Matt, because I think Matt will be great for Aaron. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. The best is yet to come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April 8th 2018, 8:08PM
> 
> Matt
> 
> I need to tell you something I haven’t been able to tell you before.  
> Promise me you won’t run away?
> 
> April 8th 2018, 8:15PM
> 
> Me
> 
> I promise I won’t run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much [Denise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deniseeeyy) for beta'ing chapter three!
> 
> This might end up being longer than five chapters I don't know yet, but I'm really happy how this is turning out! But I do know that Aaron is in for a surprise in this chapter :')
> 
> Come and talk to me on[Twitter!](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)

“I never expected my blind date to be you,” Matt admitted with a light laugh once he was sitting across from Aaron with a beer of his own. Aaron hadn’t expected Matt to be his blind date either, but it was nice to see Matt’s easy smile again.

“Me neither, but here we are. I mean… It’s nice to see you again after so many years.” Aaron didn’t even know Matt was living in Denver. The last thing he had heard was that Matt and Dan were getting a divorce, but that was _years_ ago. And Neil and Andrew weren’t big on suggesting social gatherings or gossiping so Aaron had missed out on a lot of information about his former teammates. That including inviting old teammates over when they were already living in the city. He wondered if they watched over Matt’s daughter sometimes. They hadn’t while Aaron had been living with him, but he had heard Neil talk on the phone with Matt a time or two.

“It really is! Man, we all really should try harder to see each other more than once a year. I know you have been busy with med school and such, but it would have been nice to see you once in a while.”

Aaron knew this wasn’t to put blame on him. Matt was just as much at fault as he was for not trying harder, but he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for always skipping on their yearly get together. He knew he hadn’t been big on socializing for the past five months – or years. He had been busy getting through Med school and then getting into a surgical program he could see him in. It was a no brainer because there was a hospital a few miles from their apartment and he could take the bus from their apartment near the University of Houston and Robertson Stadium to Wheeler station and then take the railway to Memorial Hermann Hospital and then the same way home hours later.

“Sorry about that,” Aaron muttered, rubbing the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

He watched as the waitress came back to the the table with two menus for them to look at. He thanked her, sending her off with a soft smile before he turned his attention to Aaron.

“It’s okay, you’ve been busy. How’re you doing? I didn’t know you were in Denver,” Matt said as he leaned back in his chair with one of the menus.

“Yeah well… Things happened… Back home.” He sucked a deep breath. I’m sure you’ve heard about them,” Aaron said as he buried his head in his menu, pretending to studying it closely. He didn’t want to talk about it. It wasn’t many people that knew about his and Kevin’s relationship; only the Foxes knew about them, because Kevin was still a firm believer that homosexuality would hurt ones career in Exy, but it hadn’t hurt Neil and Andrew, quite the contrary, it had made them more popular with the young adults and teens. He looked up when Matt had been quiet for a while. He sighed softly. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t talk about this here—”

“No, it’s okay Aaron. Kevin was in the wrong for cheating on you. Katelyn was in the wrong for cheating on you. You deserved better than what they gave you,” Matt said in a firm voice. “You deserve better than that. Everybody does. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

It was almost soothing to hear Matt say those words – _You’ve done nothing wrong_.

Because Aaron had believed that there had been something wrong with him for making both Katelyn and Kevin cheat on him. He fully believed that it was his fault for making Katelyn cheat on him because he wasn’t taller than five foot even, he was lacking muscles and his cock was average in size and grit. After he had left Kevin back in Houston, after he had moved in on Neil and Andrew’s couch, he started to believe that he pushed Kevin back towards Thea because of his lack of breasts and a vagina.

He smiled carefully at him. “Thank you. I guess I needed to hear that.”

The waitress came to their table before Matt could even reply. “Would you like to order?”

“Yeah,” Matt said, clearing his throat a little. “I would like a cheese burger with a side of nachos with cheese, and a large cola.” He took note and looked at Aaron.

“A bacon cheeseburger with fries and a medium sprite, thanks,” he said and collected their menus, then handed them off to the lady. She wrote down Aaron’s order, then took the menus and went back to the kitchen.

“Thank you,” Aaron said again once the waitress was gone. “I’ve been… living on Neil and Andrew’s couch for months. It was hard… To see Kevin cheat on me. It hurt worse than Katelyn. I wasn’t with her for years, but I was with Kevin for years.” He looked down on his hands resting in his lap.

“Neil told me that you were living on their couch. He asked me how to get rid of you without being rude,” Matt said. Aaron looked at Matt, his eyes as wide a tea cups. He laughed softly and Aaron felt something unfurl inside of him. “I told him you needed time to heal, that it would be rude of him and Andrew to just kick you out when you were at your lowest.”

“They bought an apartment. Or Neil did. Andrew got me a car,” Aaron blurted out without thinking.

Matt stared at him, almost like he didn’t believe him.

“They did not.”

“They did though. After three months of living in your apartment I moved in and became Neil’s tenant. Also, the rent is cheap and my car has been paid for, so I’m like filthy rich for an intern,” he laughed softly. “I can drive you home if you need a ride home later.” Aaron knew he probably shouldn’t be driving after having two beers, but if he stuck to soda and water for the rest of the date he should be fine. He could always give Matt the rest of his beer.

“I’ll just take the bus. I have to pick up my daughter from her friends house after this,” Matt said taking a sip from his beer.

“You have a daughter?” he asked. He knew Matt had a daughter, but that was all.

Matt smiled and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his gallery on his phone, before he slid it towards Aaron. “This is Samantha but I call her Sam or Bug. She’s five and she’s the light of my life.”

Aaron looked at the photo, a smile creeping onto his face. She was a beautiful girl and it was obvious that Matt loved her more than he probably loved anyone else. She looked like Dan, sure, but she had Matt’s kind deep brown eyes and his high cheekbones and his lips. “She’s beautiful Matt. You should be proud of her.” Aaron slid the phone back to Matt. “Can I ask how you and Dan broke up?”

Matt slid his phone into his pocket and sighed softly.

“After Sam was born everything was great, but I wanted to stop being a professional because I couldn’t live with the fear that I might get a racquet to the head. I couldn’t live with that. And that was fine because that meant that she got to focus on her team and train them while I became a stay at home dad. We went to Dan’s games, cheered on her and Sam was really fascinated with her mother and how hard she worked for what she loved.” He took a break from talking when the waitress came with their food and drinks. They thanked her and took a few bites of their burgers in awkward silence.

“After some time, Dan started to get annoyed that I was always home and that she never had any privacy. Then I got a job at a high school where I taught business management and I coached the Exy team, but we were constantly moving because Dan got better, but shorter deals and it was taking a toll on Sam. She needed a stable environment, so Dan and I made the decision to move our home base here, where we knew we at least had Neil if anything went wrong. But it was hard for Dan still, but Sam had gotten into a good school and she had gotten friends here and it would be a shame to rip her away from here. We decided that we share custody, because Dan’s still a part of Sam’s life, she’ll come by and see her whenever she has time…” he sighed, stuffing his mouth full of nachos before he could say anymore.

“I’m glad Dan’s still in her life,” Aaron said. “I know what it’s like to grow up with only one parent, not that you are like my mother, because you aren’t. You aren’t absent or out partying or getting high while your child has to learn how to take care of themselves from an early age. You’ve worked out a schedule that seemingly works for both of you and that’s amazing Matt.”

It wasn’t often Aaron had praised Matt, not even in college when they had been roommates and while they did seem to be friends in college, they had each of their group of friends that they spent time with. Matt had always been a pretty chill guy, even when Andrew drugged him at Eden’s, because Aaron was close to slipping back in when Matt didn’t have his own drug use under control.

“I’m sorry for all the bullshit we put you in at college Matt,” he said, because he had never apologized to Matt for what Andrew had done to him. Matt chuckled and it left Aaron a little confused.

“You don’t have to apologize Aaron, it’s fine. Andrew already apologized,” he said, waving Aaron off as he stuffed his mouth with food.

“He did? My cold and incredibly boring, unapologetic twin _apologized_?” Andrew never apologized for anything he believed in.

Matt nodded. “Ye’h,” said with a mouthful of food that made Aaron make a disgusted face before Matt swallowed. “He did. After going sober and after we had graduated from PSU, but he did apologize. Don’t worry,” he said. Aaron relaxed, because right then he realized how Matt had never blamed them for what went down at Eden’s that night so many years ago. But it had kept Matt clean and it had kept Aaron clean.

Aaron scoffed and smiled. “Don’t teach your daughter how to speak with your mouth full.”

“Too lat’,” Matt said around another mouthful of burger and Aaron laughed.

Aaron hadn’t laughed so much in one day like he had today. He had spent the past five months in a constant state of wanting to cry. He had buried himself in work and he was lucky he had some good coworkers that seemed to know what he needed. And apparently he had needed Matt Boyd back in his life. They each paid for their dinner, paid the waitress for her services and went outside the restaurant. Matt looked at his phone.

“How about we go and get some ice cream? I know a good shop down the street,” he suggested and Aaron agreed. He was having a good time and he didn’t want their date to end just yet. Matt talked about his classes at the high school he was hired at. He talked about Exy and about how he sometimes could get Neil to show up at practices so they could see how a Striker played in real life. Once, Andrew had joined them in the goal and the students had been star struck.

“Sam wants to play Exy too, as a Backliner because that’s what her daddy used to play,” he said with a wide, proud smile. Aaron couldn’t blame him he supposed.

“Well, the Backliner position is pretty cool if I do say so myself,” Aaron hummed and followed Matt around the corner to a hole-in-the-wall kind of ice cream parlor. The name seemed familiar. He might have seen a container for two in Andrew and Neil’s freezer.

“I’ve heard about this one. Andrew can’t stop eating anything else.”

“I had them make an ice cream cake for Sam’s fourth birthday and Andrew has been eating this brand ever since,” Matt explained as he opened the door into the tiny store. The boy behind the counter smiled when he heard Matt’s booming voice.

“Mister Boyd!” he said. He couldn’t be much older than one of the kids Matt taught at school.

“Hey kiddo. How’s business tonight?”

“You know, the usual. What would you like to—Is… Is that A-Andrew Minyard behind you?” The kid was a big Denver fan and he had practically begged Matt to try to get Andrew to play with them again.

“Wrong twin,” Aaron said, but he couldn’t really blame the kid. He was energetic and he looked like he was a smart kid. He blushed and Aaron smiled. “I’ll see if I can talk to Andrew for you.”

The boy smiled widely. “Thank you! What can I get you? It’s on the house.”

Matt leaned down to get a better look at the ice cream flavors the store provided. They changed every other week, but they always rotated back. Aaron turned his head to look at Matt. They had never been this close to each other and this was the first time Aaron noticed how long Matt’s eyelashes were. “I’ll have vanilla and strawberry.” Matt noticed that Aaron was looking at him. He turned his head slightly and winked. Aaron blushed furiously and looked away.

“I… Uh… I’ll have orange and chocolate,” he stuttered and the kid nodded, making their orders right away. He handed the ice cream cones over the counter with a smile.

“I’ll see you on Monday, Mister Boyd!”

Matt laughed. “That you will. Take care now,” he said as they exited the store. Aaron carefully ate his ice cream as they walked a few blocks to a small park with a play ground. “I take Sam to this park every Sunday, but Dan’s coming in to town and asked to spend time together with Sam, if I didn’t have any plans,” he explained as he flopped down on his usual park bench. Aaron sat down next to him and he wondered if Matt wanted to get together again, maybe to watch a movie.

“If you are free this Sunday… Why don’t you come by my place? We can cook and watch a movie,” Aaron suggested and he wanted to kick himself over the shin. He probably sounded like someone who just wanted to get into Matt’s jeans.

“Sure. I’d like that,” Matt said and Aaron’s head snapped up when the taller man agreed, almost dropping his ice cream.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They ate their ice cream, sharing stories about Janice and how she had tired to set the both of them up with each other ever since Aaron started his new internship. They laughed and they joked and the time Matt had to pick up Sam was fast approaching. Aaron fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Matt.

“Type in your number.”

Matt did and sent himself a text in the process, so he also would have Aaron’s number. He handed his phone back to Aaron. They both stood up, dusting their pants free from debris and waffle crumbs.

“I’ll text you my address yeah?” Aaron said and smiled up at Matt.

“Yeah,” Matt said and seemed to think hard about something, but he seemed to decide against it. Instead he leaned down and kissed Aaron’s cheek, leaving Aaron shocked, speechless and a little confused.

“I’ll see you Sunday.”

Aaron nodded and Matt grinned because it usually took a lot to make Aaron speechless. He stood there, watching Matt leave the play ground and the park. It took him a few minutes to get his brain working again, and when it did, all he could think about was Matt’s nice laugh, his kind eyes and his lips against his cheek. He slowly made his way back to his car and once he was in his car, he checked his phone and found a series of texts from Matt.

_April 8_ _ th _ _2018, 8:08PM_

**_Matt_ **

_I need to tell you something_   
_I haven’t been able to tell_   
_you before._

_Promise me you won’t run_   
_away?_

There was a pause in the texts but Aaron supposed Matt was with his daughter so he replied.

_April 8_ _ th _ _2018, 8:15PM_

**_Me_ **

_I promise I won’t run_

Aaron put his phone down and put on his seatbelt and drove home. He didn’t check his phone until he was back in in his apartment.

_April 8_ _ th _ _2018, 8:57PM_

**_Matt_ **

_I’ve liked you since college_

Aaron sat up straighter, staring at the text on his phone.

_What?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading so far! 
> 
> I hope you are enjoying it! 🧡
> 
> Come and talk to me on[Twitter!](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry for putting Aaron through all of this, but it's for a greater good!
> 
> I love Kevin and Katelyn. Them cheating is a part of a learning process for Aaron and it will lead him to make some different choices than if they just had broken up because they had fallen out of love. 
> 
> Come and talk to me on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes) about my fic!


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